"Summer, just drop it already!" Ryan was so fed up with Summer's newfound enthusiasm for his birthday.
"I'll drop it when you give me an answer."
Zach and Lindsay approached. "Is she still interrogating you?" Lindsay asked, squeezing Zach's hand comfortingly.
Summer ignored their blatant affection. If Ryan could handle them dating then she didn't care either. Even though it was barely a month ago that Lindsay wanted Ryan back more than anything else in the world. "His birthday's two weeks away and he still won't make a decision."
"What are your choices again?" Zach asked Ryan. He rolled his eyes as Summer answered for him.
"Monica wants to throw him a cookout. Kirsten wants to drive everyone down to Mammoth. Sandy wants to have a luau and Ryan…"
"Wants everyone to shut the hell up about it. They all sound fun, Summer," Ryan sighed.
"Why don't you just pick one?" Summer demanded him, shoving him.
She'd been getting her fire back, or as Sandy called it, her 'bitch' back. She had become obsessed with his birthday and was determined to drive Ryan insane with her obsessive need to plan.
"Because, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and you've pimped the day out all over town when you know I didn't want to make a big thing out of it, that's why," Ryan snapped.
"I wouldn't have had to ask for ideas if you'd just give me something to go on," Summer replied, nonplussed.
"Please. I have two exams today, I'm so fucking tired of talking about this," Ryan sighed. He waved his hands and walked toward his class.
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Summer sighed as she watched Ryan storm off.
"He seems, kind of, pissed," Zach commented.
"Lindsay, what's your thinking?" Summer asked. "What do you think he wants to do?"
Lindsay was thoughtful. "Damn, Summer…he probably just wants to take it easy. Peace and quiet's usually his idea of a good time."
But Summer remembered seeing him pumping his fist at last week's game and the way his face lit up when he beat her at pool. Peace and quiet her ass.
"Why don't you just get him a cake and rent some movies, or better yet, let him watch sports," Zach suggested.
"That's so unoriginal," she snorted.
"Well, it's his birthday," Lindsay said.
"You're both invited to a brainstorming session tonight at the Cohens."
"Is Ryan invited?" Zach asked, amused.
"Nope. If he wants a surprise, he'll get a surprise," Summer replied.
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Summer had ordered Ryan to make himself scarce that night so he took advantage of the opportunity to return his mother's call.
Dawn had been calling sporadically since he'd picked her up from jail.
She wanted to see him for his birthday.
Ryan was pleasantly surprised when he saw his mother walk into the small diner. He hadn't fully expected her to show up.
"Hey, baby," she miled and he embraced her gently.
"Hi, Mom," he said as they sat down.
"You're looking good. How are you?" she asked.
"Better than last time I saw you. How are you?" he countered.
"It's always a good day when I get to see one of my boys," she smiled.
He didn't think she was drunk, her eyes were clear.
"I saw you on the news. That robbery…how'd you handle that?"
He shrugged.
"I remember when your dad went away…you were messed up for a long time…"
"I didn't even think you noticed," he muttered.
"I noticed. I just wasn't really in a place to help you back then." She lowered her gaze. "Heard Trey came out and saw you."
"For a couple of weeks. He's doing pretty well," Ryan acknowledged.
"Well, I'm sure your…the Cohens have a lot of things planned for your birthday but…I wanted to take you out to dinner and give you a few things."
Ryan studied his mother. She came to him sober. That meant more than he could ever say. "It's really good to see you, Ma. Seeing you…it's a good birthday present in itself."
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Ryan returned home with the bags of gifts from his mother. Some pictures from his childhood, some clothes, a used tool set and several books that she'd found in her many moves.
"Can I come in now?" Ryan asked, peeking inside the house.
"The kids are all gone, come on in," Sandy grinned, opening the door for him. "Where have you been? Shopping?"
"I met Dawn for dinner. She gave me some early birthday gifts," Ryan admitted.
Sandy was visibly surprised.
"Its okay that I saw her, isn't it?" he asked, turning to face his quasi-father.
"I don't know, is it? How are you?"
"I'm…I'm okay, actually," Ryan replied. It felt strange to say it and mean it.
Kirsten patted the couch for him to sit down. "As long as you can handle it, then it's okay with us."
"It was nice. Did you guys have fun?" Ryan asked, sitting down and letting her take the bags.
"Summer's got some interesting ideas. But since it's supposed to be a surprise, you'll have to wait and see. What'd you get?"
"Take a look," Ryan motioned.
Kirsten pulled out the photo album right away, ignoring the random clothes and books. "Is this you when you were little?" Kirsten asked.
"Yep," Ryan smiled. "Mom gave me some old pictures, some of my old stuff."
"Oh, Sandy, look…he played little league," Kirsten squeed.
"For a few months in Fresno before we moved. And there's some good ones of me and Trey…and a coupld that I sent her in postcards…"
Kirsten had flipped to the back where there were several photos of Ryan and Seth and the girls. There was also several pictures of the Cohens and Ryan.
"She knew most of the pictures we had got burned up," he said quietly.
"I didn't know you wrote to her," Sandy said.
"Sometimes," Ryan shrugged.
"You really…you're really okay with seeing your mom?" Sandy asked him, still slightly disbelieving.
"Yeah. For the first time in a long time…it was okay. She was sober and…nice. It was nice," Ryan replied.
"Good. Good…"
"Sandy…she's always going to be my mom. I'm sorry," Ryan said quietly. "You just have to trust that I can handle it."
"Stop with the heavy talk," Kirsten said. "And start telling me about these pictures."
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Ryan held his hands up in surrender as he walked into the kitchen. Kirsten and Summer stopped talking immediately.
"I give up."
They stared at him.
"I give up."
"So, you'll tell us what you want for your birthday?" Summer probed.
It was three days away. And they'd changed his alarm clock to play the birthday song and he couldn't figure out how to make it stop. And his phone. And the answering machine on the house phone.
"Will you give me a little peace?"
"Peace, quiet, you'll have three whole days of peace," Kirsten nodded, smiling at Summer knowingly.
"Get Sandy. I'll meet you outside," Ryan grumbled, disappearing back into his bedroom.
"Am I allowed to squee?" Summer whispered.
"Not until he's actually told us something. For all we know, he's going to ask for a pony just to spite us," Kirsten replied.
Ryan drove with Summer sitting shotgun with Kirsten and Sandy in the back. Summer and the Cohens were bickering like family while Ryan listened to them silently.
Somehow, from the ashes, they'd made a new family. Not a better family, just different. Summer filled Seth's place partially. Her quick quips and unusual perspective filled the silences now just like Seth's banter used to. Ryan was still the sidekick, Sandy's partner and Kirsten's newfound rock of support. Kirsten and Sandy had almost regressed into their honeymoon state lately, giggling and tickling each other.
Slowly but surely, the pieces were falling back into place. Without Seth, they were taking a new form.
It took Seth dying for Ryan to really accept his place in the family. To accept how much he needed the Cohens. How much they needed him.
But Ryan would trade it all for just one more day with Seth. One more minute. And even though he was moving forward, he knew that he'd left a lot of himself in the grave with Seth.
"Chino, please tell me that you're not going to take us to the pawn shop," Summer said as he parked the car by the pier.
"The pawn shop?" Kirsten asked.
"Every time we come down here, he gets all choked up outside the pawn shop," Summer said, turning around in her seat to talk to her.
"Sandy, do you want to come with me?" Ryan asked, rolling his eyes.
"No, we're all coming, don't think we're letting you off the hook," Summer said.
The strangest part of their new 'family' was Kirsten and Summer's recent relationship. With Marissa still in treatment, Summer and Kirsten had bonded in a strange way. They were like girlfriends. They went shopping together, they experimented with each other's makeup, talked about boys and seemed to be sharing the same brain sometimes.
Even Sandy thought it was strange but he was too caught up in his wife's second adolescence to complain.
Ryan led the way to the pawn shop and stopped outside the glass window. "That's it."
"The…the guitar?" Summer scoffed.
"Yes. That's what I want," Ryan stated, crossing his arms and turning back to face them.
"Can you play?" Kirsten asked.
"Yep. Since I was five. My dad was in a band for a few years, he taught me," Ryan admitted.
"I can't believe you want a guitar, that's so…" Summer's face was still wrinkled in distaste.
"Take it or leave it, you wanted to know and I'm telling you," Ryan said.
"I think it's a great idea. I can't wait to hear you play, but I have a better idea than this pawn shop. Let's go downtown and see one of my old friends…he'll have something better," Sandy said, smiling widely and patting him on the back.
"A guitar. I never would've guessed," Kirsten said, still standing with Summer in front of the pawn shop as he walked away with Sandy.
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"Wake up, punk. It's time for you to get your lazy ass out of bed."
Ryan blinked away his sleep and recognized Luke Ward in his doorway. "Luke? Am I in hell?"
"No, dude, it's your birthday and Summer has pulled out all the stops for you," he grinned.
"Oh, god…how bad is it?"
"You're going to have to see it to believe it, man," Luke laughed, stepping inside and closing the door.
Ryan sat up and reached out to shake his hand. "I'm sorry I didn't call…"
"Don't apologize, dude. I can't imagine how hard it's been. I should be apologizing to you for not calling. But, happy birthday, man. This day is all yours," Luke smiled.
"More like all Summer's. Can you give me a hint?"
Luke laughed. "No way, dude, she's got her claws out already, trying to make sure everything's perfect. You better get dressed before she sends in reinforcements."
"I think I'm going to climb out the window…cover for me?" Ryan joked.
"No way, man. Did you just hear me talk about Summer and claws?"
"Damn. I'll see you in a few minutes. I know better than to keep them waiting," Ryan groaned, climbing out of bed and getting into the shower.
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Balloons. Every room was filled with balloons.
Summer made sure that they weren't too happy, no pink or blues, only whites and golds and silvers. Kirsten had convinced her that everyone liked balloons but Ryan hadn't even emerged from his bedroom yet and Sandy and Jimmy were already mimicking munchkins by inhaling the helium and chasing Kirsten around.
It was so strange for a grown woman to be afraid of munchkins, but she couldn't fault her.
Linday and Zach were already here and she'd even managed to convince Trey to come up for the day, promising him that she wouldn't talk to him unless he approached her. That was still something between them, but she knew that before she could attempt to fix it, he had to get over her first.
The comic book club geeks were due at lunchtime as were Julie and Caleb and Monica and all her family.
Marissa had been released from rehab a week early and was helping her in the kitchen.
It was so nice to have her best friend back, even if it was a faded version. This new Marissa was quieter, more thoughtful. She seemed slightly stronger after being forced to give up her alcohol.
"So…you sure Ryan's going to be up for all this?" Marissa asked, smearing a glob of icing on her finger and licking it off.
"Oh, he better be, the little punk wouldn't give me anything to go on," Summer replied. Another balloon popped and Kirsten squealed from upstairs.
"Here he is, in all his glorious grouchiness," Luke announced walking in with Ryan.
Summer and Marissa immediately launched into the birthday song and it was so horribly off key that it sounded much better when Jimmy and Sandy entered and joined in with their high-pitched munchkin voices.
Ryan laughed despite his drowsiness and embraced Marissa and Summer in one big hug.
"Happy birthday, Chino," she whispered.
"Thanks," he replied.
"This is just the beginning, all the important people aren't coming until lunch," Kirsten announced.
Ryan rolled his eyes but they were all pleased to see the smile on his face. He reached past Summer and dipped one of his fingers in the icing on his cake.
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